“66 While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the high priests servants came. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus.”

68 But he denied it: “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about!” Then he went out to the entryway, and a rooster crowed.

69 When the servant saw him again she began to tell those standing nearby, “This man is one of them!”

70 But again he denied it. After a little while those standing there said to Peter again, “You certainly are one of them, since youre also a Galilean!”

71 Then he started to curse and to swear with an oath, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”

72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” When he thought about it, he began to weep.”

Mark 14:66-72

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In Luke 22, we are told that Jesus was close enough to see and hear all this and that He makes eye contact with Peter upon this last denial. This was a very intimate denial, a refusing of Jesus, who was just a few yards away. He heard Peter say this all three times. The man who just earlier in the night had cut off another man’s ear, trying to defend Jesus, and who had publicly sworn that He wouldn’t leave or abandon Him, was now doing everything he promised to never do. His conviction wavered and whose faith fell in the face of an accusatory servant girl. 

We can probably all relate to this in a way. We have all had opportunities to stand up for Jesus but decided it was easier, ‘better,’ to keep our mouths closed. We’ve spoken a good game, we’ve played our part well, but when it got difficult, we folded under the pressure. We know the pain of realization, the shame that comes once we realize what we’ve done.  

And we have hope because of Peter. We see the resurrected Lord invite him back into the fold to feed His sheep. Peter is reinstated as a disciple and is even the lead Apostle when the  church is born. But every morning, and sometimes in the middle of the day, Peter heard a rooster crow. There is a daily reminder, no matter where he is, of what he had done. It wouldn’t be escapable, except maybe out at sea. But every day as he is reminded, three crows signaled three denials, but three times Jesus told him to take care of His flock. For every denial, there was now a call to action, a motivation to move forward. I imagine that the rooster became a reminder of grace, not guilt, for Peter. 

When we fall short, when pressure gets the best of us, we need to remember that Jesus gave Peter the strength to not only do the basics of discipleship, but to endure ridicule, imprisonment and beatings for His sake. For most of us in the West, all we have to put up with is public ridicule or a sideways glance. Surely we have power enough in Christ to stand up through that! Peter’s reinstatement doesn’t just leave us with hope when we fall, but it’s a reminder that we have the power to stand now in Christ. 

Where Peter fell before a servant’s ridicule and pointing finger, we would later stand before priests, rulers and eventually the emporer himself.  That’s the reminder we need to take away with us, that we don’t have an open invitation to fail, but power and strength to stand. The failure of another person does not give us excuse to fail, but instead, it gives us hope that we can stand through it all. Peter’s strength came when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. We who are Christ today, who have received Him and been baptized into Him, we have the Holy Spirit in dwelling us, too. We have been given power beyond our need to stand, be bold and speak the truth in love. And our call to GoLove is not a weak or timid call. It requires us to be bold and live beyond ourselves, beyond our own strength. Christ is more than sufficient to see us through. He is our Rock, and we should not be moved. Be bold. Trust in Him. Own your faith!